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Welcome back to Cult Leader. I'm your Cult Leader Spencer Henry and I'm coming to you live, well, kind of, from Palm Springs, California. Joining us today is my older sister, Olivia, America sweetheart, a mother Teresa of her time. The saint we all needed to get us through today's spooky story. So mother Teresa of her time, Olivia, do you want to go back to your old school?

Do you want to share that story or should I? Nope, and I'm really annoyed it's even an intro. Okay, I'm not going to read the whole thing because I want to keep her. I want her to come back on the show eventually. But you guys, Olivia just pulled up the article and it says Olivia Henry, anything but normal, giving mother Teresa a run for her money. I, it says she's quirky. She's fun. And now she's number one. Oh my God.

I know Olivia has the life many girls dream and hope to one day experience. She's a cheerleader. She's a boyfriend placed on the varsity soccer team. And she's an active member in leadership. I'm not going to read the rest of it. But if you want a glimpse of what Olivia and high school was like, not all is it appears? That was it. No. No, Olivia, let me ask you. Are you familiar in any way whatsoever with the story of Robert the doll? No. Nope. Not surprised.

You loved dolls growing up. Okay. It's not my history. Nice. You had them for a very long time. I know. I know it is. So there's actually a few different stories surrounding the actual inception of Robert the doll. Some say he was created as a window display, perhaps for a children's clothing store, given his three foot stature. Others claim that he can be traced back to the stifect company, the makers of the original teddy bear. Nice fact.

And then there's a story many have come to know and fear about the auto family from Key West, Florida. Regardless of where the doll originated, one things for sure. His story begins here with the auto family at 534 Eaton Street in Key West, Florida.

In the auto household was Thomas and mini auto and their children, the youngest being Robert born on October 25th of 1900. The couple were allegedly known for mistreating their servants.

The old story goes that in 1905, a Haitian servant dedicated to watching Robert was fired after being caught performing black magic rituals like skeleton key, just like skeleton key, which we watched semi recently at an outdoor six foot separated movie night at Olivia's house. Love that film. Fantastic.

So right before leaving after she's fired, she gives Robert this three foot doll and the doll possessed button eyes allegedly human hair and wore a child size sailor outfit.

Like yours. I did. I wore a sailor outfit when I was a little Robert loved the doll and named him Robert, which you know, I love that such a little kid thing to do.

But imagine people like imagine getting a dog and naming it Olivia. Yeah, wouldn't do it would not do it. Like just like, can we a little Olivia? I guess people do that with kids, right?

Like I feel like there's always like John Earl and then there's John Earl Jr. the fifth and that's who we're dedicating today's episode to John Earl Jr. the fifth.

Olivia, you I remember how an American girl doll and Kirsten and the whole thing was that if you pulled the next string, her head fell off, right?

And I think Lymne. Everything, which is unsettling. And it automatically makes me think of that old story. Remember the girl with like the green ribbon lace necklace. Yes. And if it ever came off her head rolled off.

Hey, that.

So Robert would bring little Robert everywhere with him. We're eating dinner, pull up a chair, watching a movie. Here's some pop. 1905. I don't think they had

listened to the radio. Yeah.

Now Robert actually started requesting to be called Jean, which was a playoff as middle name Eugene instead of Robert because the name now belonged to the doll.

And he actually kept it for like the rest of his life. Always Jean. He was always called Jean. And Robert would spend all day long chatting away with the doll.

But when it came time to respond as the doll, people would hear it speak in a much lower voice. So like the mom would be listening outside the room.

And she'd be like, like normal, probably like a kid just talking to their doll or stuff, the animal or whatever.

But I guess whenever the doll would talk back, they would hear it in such a low register that it seemed almost impossible to be coming from a four year old.

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